Former Maine gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler has been disbarred from practicing law in Maine, after a felony conviction last year for possessing child pornography brought a disgraceful end to his long career in law and politics.
Cutler, 77, was disbarred after a hearing on the sanctioning process was scheduled this past Wednesday morning. His attorney, Walter McKee, confirmed that he had been disbarred, but declined to provide additional information.
There was a notice about the hearing on the website of the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar, but no other information was immediately available. Cutler was not yet listed as a disbarred attorney on the site as of Saturday.
Cutler was first admitted to the bar in 1973 after graduating from Georgetown University’s law school. He found success as an attorney specializing in environmental law before trying his hand at politics, almost becoming Maine’s governor in 2010.
His downfall was dramatic. He was arrested in March 2022 after police found 142,000 pornographic images and videos of children on his electronic devices, according to court records. He was sentenced last spring to four years of incarceration with all but nine months suspended after pleading guilty to four counts of possessing child pornography.
He ultimately spent seven and a half months in Hancock County Jail and was released in January after good behavior shortened his sentence. He’s now a lifetime member of Maine’s sex offender registry.
